Purpose
Have a reason strong enough to survive fluctuations in motivation.
THE JOURNEY
From 145 kg to the Three Passes.
In 2022 I weighed 145 kg. This October I’m heading to Nepal with my two sons, Stephen and Luke.
Why I started.
I wanted to know what would need to be true for me to cross three Himalayan passes. At 145 kg, I had quite a bit of work to do before I could honestly answer that question.
I represented Ireland in athletics and ran the 400 metres in under 50 seconds. That was decades ago. This time I needed to prepare for long days at altitude while fitting training around work and travel.
The work has been ordinary and repetitive: walks in the Mournes, strength sessions, another attempt at Donard, and enough rest to go again. Having my sons on the trip makes the effort feel very real.
145 → 82 kgBodyweight
26 → 46Estimated VO₂ max
120 → 70 minSlieve Donard ascent
Personal benchmarks through September 2026. VO₂ max is estimated by a wearable; walking times are affected by conditions.
What I keep coming back to.
Consistency
Build behaviours that can actually be repeated.
Feedback
Measure whether the things that matter are moving.
Adjust
Change the plan when necessary rather than abandoning the goal.
“What surprised me most wasn’t how much data became available. It was how much better the decisions became when I learned which data mattered.”
Training for the
days ahead.
Training for altitude from Northern Ireland has one fairly obvious problem: we don’t have any altitude.
I track climbing pace on familiar routes, longer days on my feet, strength, sleep and recovery. A faster Donard ascent is useful. So is learning how my legs feel the day after a long walk.
I use AI to look across those records and question the next training decision. If a hard session is planned after poor sleep and a heavy hiking weekend, I may move it. None of that tells us how we’ll respond to altitude; we’ll take that slowly with our guide.
TRAINMEASUREINTERPRETADAPT↻ REPEAT
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE · NOT A RECORDED SESSION
PLANVO₂ session
SIGNALSPoor sleep · suppressed HRV · high load · fatigue
DECISIONZone 2 or recovery instead
I would move the interval session, do an easier walk and check again the next day.
The latest test: Seven Sevens.
I started before dawn to test my head torch and walking kit in the dark. I also treated stream water with a Steripen for the first time. I felt good through most of the day; on the final descent off Meelmore my quads and feet were hurting.
That is useful information with less than a month to go. Fitness at home is one part of it. Our guide, the weather and how we acclimatise will shape the actual trek.
The preparation in detail.
Fitness, long days and recovery have each changed the plan. Read how I trained for the Three Passes and see the readiness measures.